


Next Time

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 13:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18522742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: Sequel toCount Your Blessings.Five times Rafael and Sonny tried to propose to each other, and one time — well, you know the rest.





	Next Time

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Count Your Blessings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14371722) by [Robin Hood (kjack89)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood). 



> I've toyed with writing a sequel to this fic pretty much since I wrote it, and I figured, why not.
> 
> Usual disclaimer. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

“You look as good as I feel.”

Sonny brightened as Rafael bent to kiss the top of his head before collapsing in the seat across from him. “I’m gonna assume that means you’re in a great mood because I always look good,” he told Rafael, who just laughed and shook his head.

“You do always look good,” Rafael acknowledged, picking up the scotch Sonny had ordered him and draining it in one gulp. “But you also look tired, and I’m pretty sure I’m to blame.”

“No, no, I love when you’re up half the night pacing the apartment because you’re worried about the outcome of a trial,” Sonny said dryly. “It really lends itself to a good night’s sleep.”

Rafael sighed. “Sorry,” he said, though he also quirked an eyebrow at him. “Though at least now you know a little bit about how I feel when you’re undercover.”

Sonny scowled. “We really having this fight right now?”

Rafael half-smiled. “Prosecution will entertain a motion to table for later discussion.”

Sonny rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as well. “Defense will stipulate. Though I don’t know why I always have to be the defense when we do this.”

“Because I’m sure as hell not going to,” Rafael told him as their waitress brought him another drink, and he flashed her an appreciative smile before looking back at Sonny. “So. Any particular reason you wanted to meet for dinner and drinks tonight?”

“Do I need a reason?” Sonny asked, and when Rafael just arched an eyebrow, he sighed. “Ok, fine. Well, first of all, this case was particularly brutal and I feel like we didn’t exactly get to spend a lot of time together the past few weeks.”

“You’re not wrong,” Rafael murmured, his expression softening, just slightly, as he took a sip of whisky. “On either count.”

Sonny nodded. “Right. And besides that, I was serious before — do I need a reason to want to spend time with you?”

“You do when it’s a Tuesday and you insisted on going out instead of just getting takeout and spending the night in.”

Sonny let out a slightly stilted laugh, though it dovetailed into another sigh. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he muttered, giving Rafael a slightly baleful look. “Can’t do anything nice for you without you being suspicious.”

Rafael looked amused as he raised his glass to take another sip. “And see, when you say it like that, it tells me that I have every reason to _be_ suspicious.”

He was interrupted from saying more by the waitress returning to take their order, and once she left he gave Sonny a measured look. “So.”

“So…?”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “So, you clearly planned this for a reason, and if I know you, it’s because you want to talk about something. So — talk.”

“You know, you’re awfully confident for someone who has no idea what I want to talk about,” Sonny said mildly, the corners of his lips twitching. “For all you know, I dragged you out to a public place to dump your sorry ass in hopes you wouldn’t make a scene.”

Rafael shrugged and took a sip of whisky. “First and foremost, neither you nor I believe that me being in public would stop me from making a scene.”

“Touché,” Sonny said with a chuckle.

“Secondly, you and I both also know that you’re not going to break up with me.”

“Again with the confidence,” Sonny said, but he was grinning, and he took Rafael’s hand, lifting it to press a kiss to his knuckles. “You’re lucky that I love you.”

Rafael smiled, a little too soft to be the smirk he was aiming for. “I know.” He arched an eyebrow at Sonny. “So now are you done delaying enough to tell me what actually prompted this midweek date night?”

“Oh, uh…” Sonny’s smile faded and he shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I, uh, I met up with your ma this weekend.”

Rafael blanched. “Good God, why?” he asked, draining his drink and glancing around for their waitress. “Voluntarily? Is she trying to get you to help her move furniture again? Because I told her after the last time that it’s unethical use of department resources to ask you and Fin to help her flip her mattress—”

Sonny held up his hands, chuckling. “Nothing so sinister,” he said, grinning. “And actually, I was the one who asked her to meet. I, uh, I had a question for her.”

Rafael frowned slightly. “A question?” he asked. “What—”

He broke off when Sonny reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet-covered ring box. “Oh my God,” he said, eyes widening. “You mean—”

Sonny grinned widely. “I asked her for her blessing to marry you,” he said. “Which is, y’know, why I wanted to do this whole midweek date night—”

It was his turn to break off as Rafael let out a huff and stood to dig in his own pocket and return with an almost identical box, which he set on the table. “What is that?” Sonny asked weakly.

Rafael snorted. “What does it look like?” he asked, flipping the box open.

“You— I mean, this— but—”

“Use your words,” Rafael said with a grin, clearly amused by Sonny’s incoherent stuttering. “But to answer what I think you’re getting at, yes, that is an engagement ring, yes, I went through all five circles of Carisi hell to get the blessing of your parents and sisters, and yes, you and I both apparently had the same idea.”

Sonny looked from the platinum band to Rafael, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he squawked indignantly, “You were gonna steal my proposal?”

Rafael’s grin disappeared. “What?” he asked, sounding insulted by the accusation. “How could I ‘steal’ your proposal? I didn’t even know you were going to propose!”

“Why the hell else would I wanna go out to fancy restaurant on a weeknight?!”

Rafael blinked. “Hang on, weren’t you the one who literally just said that you don’t need an ulterior motive to take me out to dinner?”

Sonny rolled his eyes. “Obviously I lied,” he said impatiently. “I figured this would be special, but I guess I shoulda known better.”

“Well forgive me for thinking that maybe you wanted to have a nice meal with your boyfriend, since that is the sort of thing that you would do,” Rafael snapped, “and forgive me for also thinking that this would be a convenient time to propose, since apparently I’m supposed to be a mind reader!”

Both men glared at each other for a moment until Sonny let out a snort. “God,” he said, running his hand across his face, “are we pathetic or what?”

“Maybe you’re pathetic,” Rafael muttered, but a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I mean, bad enough that we work together, and live together, and spend every spare moment we have together, but now we’re the damn cliched couple that proposes together.”

Rafael laughed lightly, all previous tension disappearing from his expression and his posture, and he reached out to take Sonny’s hand. “I suppose,” he allowed, “if we were feeling generous, we could chalk it up to great minds thinking alike.”

Sonny let out a mock gasp. “You know, that may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“That statement is predicated on the presumption that I’m feeling generous,” Rafael said with a grin.

Sonny laced their fingers together. “A presumption I’d guess prosecution would be willing to stipulate on,” he said, also grinning.

Rafael rolled his eyes but his grin widened as he leaned in to kiss Sonny. “And I guess that brings us back to why we’re here in the first place,” he said, looking pointedly at the two ring boxes on the table.

“Oh, right,” Sonny said. “And I guess one of us has to actually ask the question, so, uh—”

“Hang on,” Rafael interrupted. “If you ask the question, that means when everyone inevitably asks, you get to tell everyone that you asked me to marry you.”

Sonny stared at him. “And…?”

“And seeing as I was just about to ask you, I think it’s only fair that I get some of the credit.”

“Credit?” Sonny repeated, sounding amused. “I don’t really think that’s how this works—”

Rafael arched an eyebrow at him. “I love you,” he said, “but I’m sorry, I did not ask all three of your sisters and both of your parents for their blessing to marry you just to spend the rest of my life listening to you tell the story of how _you_ proposed to _me_.”

“And I didn’t go with your ma to mahjong just for you to steal all the glory for yourself!” Sonny yanked his hand away from Rafael, scowling. “I mean, Christ, do you even know what that was _like_?”

“I’ve had the misfortune myself, so yes, but I see mahjong and raise you _fishing_ with your _father_.”

Sonny looked baffled. “My pops doesn’t fish.”

Rafael grit his teeth. “Apparently, when he’s torturing his son’s future husband, he does.”

Sonny grinned. “Man, that must’ve been a sight to see.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it,” Rafael muttered, but he was smiling as well.

Sonny sighed and shook his head. “Fine,” he said grudgingly, “so we probably suffered equal damages in asking each other’s families for their blessing.” He glanced at Rafael. “Where does that leave us?”

Rafael leaned forward and picked up the ring box he had brought, hefting it in his hand. “At an impasse.”

Sonny’s eyes narrowed as he picked up his own ring box. “I’m not gonna stop trying, y’know,” he warned.

“Good,” Rafael said with a smirk. “Neither am I.”

* * *

 

“You do realize that this is insanity,” Olivia said mildly as she sat down on the couch in her living room.

“No,” Rafael told her from his perch on the armchair, “this is war.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re proposing to  the love of your life,” she pointed out. “I hardly think that qualifies—”

“I’m proposing to the love of my life in such a way that he will be _forced_ to say yes to the proposal,” Rafael interrupted, “thus cementing my place as the person who asked for the rest of our days together.”

Olivia stared at him. “You realize that sounds crazy.”

Rafael shrugged. “Probably,” he acknowledged. “Now can I borrow Noah or not?”

Twenty minutes later, Sonny was waiting patiently at the park when he was  almost toppled over by a small blur running full-force into his knees. “Uncle Sonny!” Noah squealed, and Sonny winced a smile as he steadied him.

“How’s it going, bud?” he asked, automatically patting Noah’s head even as he scanned the crowd for Olivia. “Where’s your ma—” He broke off when he saw Rafael strolling towards them. “Ah. Nevermind.”

“Hello,” Rafael said as he reached Sonny, his voice pitched low, and he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I hope you don’t mind our unexpected guest intruding on our date.”

Sonny grinned. “Of course not,” he said, wrapping an arm around Rafael’s waist and tugging him close to give him a proper kiss.

“Gross,” Noah said, wrinkling his nose.

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Rafael said with a grin, and Sonny hastened to add, “And, uh, don’t try til your ma says that you’re old enough.”

Noah studied them seriously for a moment. “You both are weird,” he announced, and Rafael and Sonny glanced at each other, amused.

“He’s got you there,” Rafael said, and Sonny scowled.

“Me? Look in the mirror sometime, weirdo.”

Rafael laughed and kissed Sonny once more before looking down at Noah. “Hey Noah,” he said, with a sort of forced casualness, “do you remember what we talked about on the walk over here?”

For a moment, Noah just stared up at him, but then Rafael winked and Noah brightened. “Oh, yeah!” He grabbed Sonny’s hand and tugged him away from Rafael, and Sonny threw a bemused look over his shoulder at Rafael before turning back to Noah.

“Ok, kid, what’s going on between you and Uncle Rafael?” Sonny asked, sitting down on a park bench so that he was closer to Noah’s height.

“Um…” Noah stared off into space for a moment before he nodded decisively as if he’d just remember. “Oh. Yeah. Are you ever gonna marry Uncle Rafa?”

Sonny laughed lightly. “I love Uncle Rafi very much, and one day, I am definitely going to marry him. And when I do, you’ll get to get dressed up all fancy and stay up late at night to celebrate with us. How’s that sound?”

“Awesome!” Noah said with a grin. “So if you love Uncle Rafa and you’re gonna marry him someday, then you should say yes to the question he’s gonna ask you.”

Sonny swiveled to stare at Rafael, who smirked and pulled the ring box out of his pocket. “Oh, he’s good,” Sonny murmured darkly before looking back at Noah. “Y’know what, kiddo? I am gonna say yes to the next question that Uncle Rafi asks, because I know what it’s gonna be.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “You wanna know what it is?”

Noah nodded, eyes wide, and Sonny lowered his voice. “He’s gonna ask— Do you wanna go get ice cream?!”

He grabbed Noah and tickled him, grinning when Noah burst into peals of laughter before dashing off in the direction of the ice cream cart at the edge of the park. Sonny followed in a much more dignified fashion, unsurprised when Rafael caught up with him. “That’s cheating,” Rafael said mildly, even as he wrapped an arm around Sonny’s waist.

“First off, I never promised to play fair,” Sonny said, matching his tone. “Secondly, so is using my boss’s kid to try to get me to say yes.” He turned to press a kiss to Rafael’s temple. “It was a good attempt, though, I’ll give you that.”

“Just means I need to try harder next time,” Rafael said, and Sonny grinned.

“Yeah. And so do I.”

* * *

 

“If you try to propose to me on the jumbotron, I’m breaking up with you.”

Sonny rolled his eyes. “You think I’m gonna ruin a perfectly good baseball game by proposing to your stubborn ass?” he asked as they made their way into Yankee Stadium.

Rafael just gave him a look. “If we were at Citi Field, I could perhaps assume that you actually wanted to watch baseball, but you hate the Yankees.”

“Almost as much as you hate the Mets,” Sonny said with a grin. “But seriously, I’m just here to spend a gorgeous afternoon with my man watching the worst team in baseball gets their asses handed to them by the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“You referring to me as ‘your man’ doesn’t exactly lend me much confidence that you’re not up to something,” Rafael muttered mutinously, even as he laced his fingers with Sonny’s. “Now come on, I want at least two beers before we find our seats.”

Two beers later, they edged their way through a row to their seats, a few rows up from the Yankees dugout. Rafael squinted around their seats before arching an eyebrow at Sonny. “Who did you sleep with to get these seats?” he asked mildly.

Sonny stole a handful of peanuts from Rafael. “Technically, it’s someone _you_ slept with,” he said, cracking a peanut open and tossing it in his mouth. “Though granted, it was, uh, several decades ago.”

Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “Of course,” he said grimly. “Rita Calhoun.”

“Got it in one,” Sonny said cheerfully. “Though, uh, why she has Yankees tickets when I’m pretty sure she’s a Red Sox fan—”

“Because she uses these tickets to entertain clients,” Rafael told him. “Which does bring into question what the NYPD ethics rules are on accepting gifts from defense attorneys.”

“Only rules are if the person is a city vendor,” Sonny said cheerfully. “And last I checked, Rita’s firm doesn’t do any business with the city.”

Rafael shook his head, his expression sour. “And what, pray tell, did you have to offer Rita in exchange for these tickets? Since I imagine I’m going to end up paying for that one way or another.”

Sonny shrugged. “Believe it or not, nothing. She said she owed you one.”

For a moment, Rafael looked confused, but then he shrugged. “I’m sure she owes me more than one, but I’ll take this as a downpayment.”

Sonny laughed and kissed Rafael’s forehead. “I’m sure you will.”

Rafael glanced up at him. “Just remember, no jumbotron.”

Sonny rolled his eyes. “Just watch the game.”

For several innings, they managed to do just that. When the seventh inning stretch rolled around, Sonny stood, stretched, and bent to kiss Rafael. “More beer?” he asked.

“Of course,” Rafael said. “But you’re going to miss Take Me Out to the Ballgame, which I know is your favorite part of any baseball game.”

“It is, but I like it a lot better when I’m around people who also like it,” Sonny said with a chuckle. “So I’ll have more fun in the beer line than here watching you scowl your way through it.”

“Suit yourself.” Rafael leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the rowdy crowd around him, only opening his eyes again when Sonny nudged him.

“Have a nice nap?” Sonny asked, grinning, as he handed Rafael a beer.

Rafael rolled his eyes. “I was hardly nap—” He broke off, his brow furrowing as he stared into the plastic cup of beer. “There’s something in my beer,” he said, and Sonny raised an eyebrow.

“Well there’s only one way to find out what it is.”

Rafael made a face but nonetheless chugged most of the beer down in one gulp until he could reach into the cup. A moment later, he froze. “Oh, you’ve got to be—”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Sonny was down on one knee, grinning. “Rafael Barba,” he started, “will you—”

But before he could get the words out, Rafael grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him upright, kissing him soundly as the crowd around them cheered and applauded. “Is that a yes?” Sonny asked when they broke apart.

“To a question you didn’t actually get a chance to ask?” Rafael returned coolly, pressing the ring into Sonny’s palm. “I think not.” Sonny chuckled and tucked the ring back into his pocket as Rafael added, “Admirable effort, though.”

Sonny just sighed and shook his head. “Shoulda gone for the jumbotron,” he said, mock-mournfully, and Rafael laughed lightly.

“Well,” he said, “there’s always next time.”

* * *

 

“Look, I’m not complaining—”

“Really?” Rafael asked mildly as he bent to grab the bakery box from the backseat of Sonny’s car. “Because it sure sounds like complaining to me, and I can’t imagine that your mother would be particularly pleased to hear you complaining about coming out to Staten Island to have dinner with your family.”

Sonny scowled. “Keep your voice down,” he hissed, tossing a look at the front window of his parents’ house, where the curtains were mercifully drawn. “You know my ma has ears like a bat.”

“A quality you inherited from her,” Rafael murmured with obvious affection.

Sonny rolled his eyes. “Only you would find that attractive,” he said, even as he let Rafael draw him close. “And don’t think you’re gonna distract me from the fact that this is all your fault.”

“My fault?” Rafael repeated, tipping his head up to kiss Sonny lightly. “How in the world are you planning on blaming this on me?”

Though Sonny tried to scowl, he wasn’t quite able to, especially as Rafael peppered his jawline with kisses. “I _told_ you my ma was gonna call and invite us for dinner, and I _told_ you not to answer, that I’d deal with it, but _no_ , you picked up my cellphone and talked to my mother for like a half hour and the next thing you know, we’re invited to dinner and we have to bring dessert.”

Rafael smirked. “Your tone of voice seems to indicate that you’re upset about this turn of events, and I can’t think of why that would be.”

This time, Sonny scowled for real. “Because I asked her if I could use my grandpa’s wedding band to propose to your stubborn ass, and since you’re not wearing that ring, it’s gonna open a whole host of questions that I was hoping to avoid answering until you _were_ wearing that ring.”

“So you were just never planning on seeing your parents again?” Rafael asked mildly.

Sonny snorted. “Nice try,” he said, gripping Rafael’s hips as he crowded him against the car. “But one way or another, I will get you to wear my ring.”

Rafael’s smirk widened. “You sound like you’ve wandered off some bad 1950s sitcom,” he teased. “Wanna go steady with me, Detective?”

“Well, we already live together, so…” Rafael laughed and Sonny grinned. “C’mon. We might as well get this over with.”

He reached for Rafael’s hand but Rafael pulled away, something mischievous in his expression. “Before we go in,” he said, “I actually had something I needed to ask you.”

“Don’t you dare—” Sonny hissed, but it was too late. Rafael was down on one knee, smirking up at Sonny, who glared at him before glancing desperately at the window. “C’mon, Raf, this is hitting below the belt.”

“And trying to propose to me at Yankee Stadium wasn’t?” Rafael asked evenly. “Turnabout is fair play, sunshine.”

“Yeah, I tried to propose to you in front of _strangers_ ,” Sonny said. “This is my family! They are never gonna let me hear the end of this!”

Rafael shrugged. “Sooner you say yes, sooner we can go inside before they get curious and come out here looking for us.”

“You are actually evil,” Sonny said, exasperated.

“And you love me for it.”

Sonny sighed. “Sadly, I do, but—”

They both froze as the door to the house opened. “What are you two idiots doing?” Teresa shouted, and Sonny stared at Rafael, eyes wide and pleading. “Food’s getting cold.”

Rafael made a face and slid the ring box back into his pants pocket. “Just tying my shoe,” he called over his shoulder. “We’ll be in in a moment.” He looked up at Sonny. “Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” Sonny said dryly, offering Rafael his hand and pulling him to his feet. “And already plotting my revenge.”

* * *

 

“Please state and spell your name for the record.”

Rafael scowled at Rita Calhoun, who didn’t seem remotely bothered as she shifted the recording device so it was closer to him. “Rafael Barba,” he said sourly. “R-A-F-A-E-L B-A-R-B-A.:

Rita nodded blithely and wrote something on the pad of paper in front of her. “Mr. Barba, you’re being deposed as part of a civil suit pending jointly against the New York County District Attorney’s Office and NYPD. This is a preliminary deposition, but I’d remind you that you are under oath and lying in this deposition is perjury. Do you understand?”

“Rita, this is hardly my first deposition—”

“Yes or no, Mr. Barba,” Rita said sweetly.

Rafael glared at her. “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.

“And do you understand that you have the right to counsel?”

“I _am_ counsel, Rita, I’m pretty sure I can manage to avoid incriminating myself.” Rita just arched an eyebrow and Rafael rolled his eyes. “Yes, I understand, and I waive my right to counsel.”

“Excellent,” Rita said briskly. “So, turning to the case of James Sanders, you first met with the plaintiff when he was in NYPD custody on the evening of April 12, is that correct?”

The line of questioning went on in that vein for quite awhile, long enough for Rafael’s irritable mood to darken even further, his answers growing shorter and more clipped as they went on. Finally, after what seemed like an unreasonably long time, Rita sat back in her chair, looking satisfied. “Thank you, Mr. Barba,” she said.

Rafael leaned forward, his expression dark. “Tell me, Rita, why the hell did you even take this suit? You know James Sanders has no case against the city or the county.”

“I know no such thing,” Rita said mildly. “Besides, it has its perks.”

Rafael scowled. “Like what?”

Rita looked at something behind him, brightening. “Like this, for starters.”

Rafael’s brow furrowed and he turned to see Sonny sidle into the room. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Rita didn’t answer, though, just clearing her throat. “Just one last question, Mr. Barba, and I’d like to remind you that you’re still under oath.”

Rafael’s eyes widened as Sonny pulled the ring box from his pants pocket. “Objection,” he said instantly.

“This isn’t a trial, Counselor, you can’t object.”

Rafael turned back to Rita. “But I can cite administrative rules governing depositions, including the fact that a subject who has not yet been deposed can’t sit in on another subject’s deposition. So unless you want this deposition thrown out—”

“Who said that Det. Carisi is going to be deposed?” Rita asked.

Rafael’s expression was carefully neutral. “He was the lead detective on this case. If you and your client had any actually interest in suing the city over how the case was conducted, you would have to depose him. Which means either you’re risking this entire deposition to lord one over on me, which given how much you value your reputation, I highly doubt, or else this deposition was a sham cooked up by you and the detective to put me in a bind. Either way—” He stood, smoothing his tie and buttoning his jacket. “We’re done here.”

He didn’t wait for Rita to say anything, just turned to look at Sonny, who at least had the good sense to look slightly chagrined. “Detective, a word.”

Sonny looked slightly panicked. “Raf, you gotta believe me, I didn’t set this up. I mean, the end I did, obviously, but the deposition—” He winced. “I overheard you talking to Liv about it and it...it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“You thought that potentially jeopardizing my career just to win this was a good idea?” Rafael asked, his voice low. “I admit, I didn’t think you were capable of stooping this low.”

“Hang on a second,” Sonny said, sounding insulted, “how is this stooping any lower than trying to blackmail me into agreeing to marry you to save me from the embarrassment of dealing with my family?”

“You honestly have to ask?” Rafael said hotly. “You’re messing with my _job_ , Detective—”

“And you messed with my family! Or you tried to.” Sonny shook his head, his jaw set. “You’re the one who started this, Counselor. Don’t be mad that I finally decided to play the same game you are.”

With that, he left, and Rafael sighed and turned to Rita, who looked like she was trying to pretend like she hadn’t just heard every word of their conversation. “So that sounded like it went well,” she said lightly.

Rafael sighed heavily, drawing a hand across his face. “Was any part of this deposition real?”

“As much as I take it as a compliment that you think I’m capable of rigging this, yes, it was real,” Rita said. “I turned off the tape recorder as soon as I finished the line of questions related to the case — at your detective’s request, I’d add, since despite what you accused him of, he doesn’t actually want to jeopardize your career. And…” She hesitated. “If it makes you feel better, I am going to recommend that Mr. Sanders drops the suit, meaning this entire thing is going to likely.”

“Oddly enough, that doesn’t make me feel better at all,” Rafael muttered before giving Rita a look. “So how much did Sonny pay you to let him arrange this whole thing?”

Rita half-smiled. “Paid me? Rafael, I did it for free.”

Despite her words, her tone was gentle, and Rafael frowned at her for a moment before realization hit. “You owed me,” he said slowly. “That’s what Sonny said you said when you have him the baseball tickets. You were preemptively paying me back — for this.” Rita shrugged and Rafael shook his head slowly. “How did you know I wouldn’t say yes at the baseball game?”

“For the same reason I knew you’d legal your way out of this one,” Rita said with another shrug. “I know you, Rafael, and despite whatever impression you attempt to give off, at heart, you’re a big romantic softie.”

“I — what?” Rafael spluttered.

Rita grinned. “It’s true,” she said. “You know it, I know it. Which means I also know that whatever else you’re trying to pull here, whatever points you’re trying to score, you also want this to be perfect.” Rafael shook his head but Rita added, in a gentler voice, “You want this to be perfect for Sonny.”

For a moment, it looked like Rafael might deny it, but then he shrugged. “He deserves perfect,” he said quietly.

“So do you.” Rita stood, gathering her things together. “And I have no doubt you’ll find a perfect moment. But for what it’s worth, it may require you putting aside your pride and letting Sonny win this.”

Rafael half-smiled. “Oh, is that all?” he murmured.

“I know it’ll be hard for you,” Rita said, “but I think you’ll somehow manage.”

“Do you?”

“Yes,” Rita said. “Because you love him. And I think both of you need to remember that that’s why you’re doing this in the first place.”

Rafael’s smile widened. “When did you get so wise?” he asked lightly.

“I’ve always been this wise. It’s just taken you this long to notice.”

Rafael laughed and shook his head. “Well, I always was a slow learner,” he said. “But this time — this time, I think I’ve got it figured out.”

* * *

 

Sonny blinked awake, the early morning light filtering through the blinds and hitting him squarely in the face. He wrinkled his nose and shifted, pausing when he felt Rafael’s hand trace up his arm. “Hey,” he said, his voice scratchy with sleep. “What’re you doing awake?”

Rafael shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep,” he said. “Besides, I like watching you.”

Sonny half-smiled. “Creep,” he murmured teasingly.

But Rafael didn’t seem bothered by it, just reaching out to cup Sonny’s cheek, running a finger lightly along the outline of the sunlight on his face. “You’re beautiful,” he said, and Sonny flushed slightly, making as if to squirm away, but Rafael held him in place. “I know I tell you that frequently enough that a lesser man would probably have an oversized ego by know, but I’ve always meant it. And especially right now — perfect.”

Sonny laughed lightly, glancing away from him. “You’re just saying that ‘cause you wanna get in my pants.”

“You’re not wearing any pants,” Rafael pointed out with a small smile of his own.

“Well, you’ve got me there,” Sonny said.

He reached out and pulled Rafael to him, kissing him lightly on the lips and smiling when Rafael shifted automatically to rest his head against Sonny’s chest. “Do you ever think about mornings like this?” Rafael asked.

“What about them?” Sonny asked, carding his fingers through Rafael’s hair.

“They’re as close to paradise as I think I’ve ever been.”

Sonny pulled away slightly, his brow furrowed. “What’s gotten into you this morning?” he asked, amused. “You make mimosas without me or something?”

Rafael scowled and swatted his hand away. “No, of course not. I’m perfectly capable of being affectionate without being under the influence of alcohol.”

“Since when?”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “ I’m trying to be serious, Sonny.”

Sonny’s smile faded, just slightly. “Raf, what—”

“I love you,” Rafael told him. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. I want every morning to feel like this one: just you and me, together forever.”

Sonny’s throat felt tight and he shook his head slowly. “Raf—”

“And this whole little game that we’ve been playing — it’s been fun and it’s typical of us, but I need you to know that it’s not about winning. Not for me.” He paused. “Or at least, not anymore.”

“What—”

“I want to marry you,” Rafael said softly. “So I promise, the next time you ask, I will let you get the question out, and I will say yes.”

Sonny stared at him. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Rafael said firmly. “You may get to tell everyone that you asked me, but I get to have you for the rest of my life. It’s a fair trade.”

For one moment more, Sonny just continued to stare at him, before a slow, wide smile spread across his face. “Raf, say it.”

“Say what?”

Sonny shook his head, something like wonder in his voice. “I love you more than anyone in my entire life. If I had been a smarter man, I’d’ve asked you a thousand times before this, but I’m always a step or two behind you, even if I get there eventually in the end.”

Rafael’s brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”

Sonny laced their fingers together. “I’m saying that I already won, because I got you. Nothing else matters. So this one’s yours.” Rafael shook his head but Sonny didn’t let him interrupt. “Go on. Ask the question you already know the answer to.”

Rafael’s eyes searched Sonny’s for a long moment before he swallowed, hard, and smiled softly. “Dominick Carisi Jr., will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Sonny said instantly. “Absolutely yes.”

He pulled Rafael to him and kissed him, and Rafael laughed lightly against Sonny’s lips. “I love you,” he murmured, and Sonny ginned.

“I love you, too.”

“We’re getting married.”

“Yeah,” Sonny said, kissing Rafael once more. “You’re goddamn right we are.”

Rafael laughed again before leaning against Sonny once more. Sonny sighed happily. “You know, you were right about something.”

“I’m right about most things, so you’ll need to be more specific.”

Sonny laughed and kissed Rafael’s temple. “This is pretty damn close to paradise,” he murmured, his voice low in Rafael’s ear.

“Yeah,” Rafael said. “It really is.”


End file.
